Microsoft's Edge Browser Coming to iPhone With 'Continue on PC' Feature

Thursday October 5, 2017 8:00 AM PDT by Joe Rossignol
Microsoft today announced that its Edge web browser is coming to iOS, starting with a beta version for iPhone available today.


Microsoft Edge will primarily appeal to iPhone users that use a Windows PC instead of a Mac thanks to a "Continue on PC" feature that enables users to push a website from the mobile to desktop version of the browser, like Apple's Handoff.

Continue on PC functionality on the desktop side will be part of the Windows 10 Fall Creators Update, available worldwide October 17.

The mobile version also includes access to favorites, history, a reading list, and e-books, but The Verge said tabs and history of what you browse on your smartphone are not shared to the desktop version of Edge yet.

"Microsoft's Joe Belfiore says the company still has work to do on the desktop version of Edge to support this, but the company is hoping to enable this at some point in the future," said reporter Tom Warren.

The report added that Bing, Google, and Yahoo can be set as the default search engine in Edge for iOS, which has a similar design as the desktop version. The mobile version doesn't have Cortana or built-in ad blocking.


On iOS, Microsoft is using Apple's WebKit engine, as required for all third-party browsers on the platform. From a compatibility perspective, Microsoft said Edge for iOS should match the version of Safari that is currently available for iPhone.

Keep in mind that, like other third-party web browsers, Microsoft Edge cannot be enabled as the default browser on iPhone.

Microsoft Edge for iOS is currently available in English only, but the company said it will add support for other languages as it expands the preview. iPad and Android support will be added in the future as well.

Access to the Microsoft Edge Preview for iOS is reserved for Windows Insiders. The beta can be installed through Apple's TestFlight program.

Microsoft Edge for iOS should be available on the App Store later this year.

Tags: Microsoft, Microsoft Edge
37 comments

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Rudy69
28 months ago
But sadly it's missing the most used feature:

The ability to download and install a new browser from Edge
Rating: 10 Votes
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honglong1976
28 months ago
Edge. The worst browser since IE. Truly, truly awful!

Those two people who use Edge are going to be happy though :)
Rating: 9 Votes
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trusso
28 months ago

People use Edge at all, even on Desktop?


But sadly it's missing the most used feature:

The ability to download and install a new browser from Edge


Edge. The worst browser since IE. Truly, truly awful!

Those two people who use Edge are going to be happy though :)


What's that old saying? "Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to open your mouth and remove all doubt."

I know we're going for the easy "likes" here, folks, but please don't embarrass yourselves. ;) Microsoft Edge is to Windows as Apple's Safari is to Mac. If you prefer Firefox, you download it, but many of us are quite content with the default Safari/Edge browsers and their integration with the OS. (And that don't make us sheep, neither!) :p

Don't fall too hard off your high horses.
Rating: 6 Votes
Avatar
Jsameds
28 months ago

This will only make mobile Safari better!


But will it make it....

?
Rating: 5 Votes
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stulaw11
28 months ago
People use Edge at all, even on Desktop?
Rating: 3 Votes
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Howl's Castle
28 months ago

But will it make it....

?

Have you used Edge on Windows 10? It isn't IE at all.
Rating: 3 Votes
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trusso
28 months ago

LOL an Edge fan? Wow, now I've seen it all. I commend your courage.

Did I say I was an Edge fan? No. Have I used it? Yes. (Disclaimer: I use Safari on a Mac.) Please read my original post more carefully, and don't ascribe words to other people that they never said. It either means one cannot parse the English language properly, or one is intentionally trying to misrepresent what someone else is saying. Neither option speaks well of the user.

I am much more concerned with the popular spirit of derision I observe people often cop toward things, people and places that they've never used, met or visited [than I am about a particular web-browser]. I don't give a rat's behind if you use Edge, Safari, Firefox, Netscape, IE or the Encyclopedia Britannica. But it bothers me, on an ethical and philosophical level, that people vouchsafe opinions online, and in the real-world, that they have no business doing.

You find a bunch of people who simply enjoy making smart-ass remarks with nothing to back them up. As a cultural phenomena, that needs to stop.
Rating: 2 Votes
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WWPD
28 months ago
I love Edge!
Rating: 2 Votes
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mikeray
28 months ago
Do y’all even use Edge? It’s not bad at all.
Rating: 2 Votes
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Ishayu
28 months ago

What's that old saying? "Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to open your mouth and remove all doubt."

I know we're going for the easy "likes" here, folks, but please don't embarrass yourselves. ;) Microsoft Edge is to Windows as Apple's Safari is to Mac. If you prefer Firefox, you download it, but many of us are quite content with the default Safari/Edge browsers and their integration with the OS. (And that don't make us sheep, neither!) :p

Don't fall too hard off your high horses.

The difference of course being that Safari is far, far more powerful, especially for developers, runs faster, and uses less battery than Edge. It also has a far larger selection of extensions.

I am writing this from Edge on Windows 10 at work. I hate it.
Rating: 1 Votes
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